Category: Health & Well Being

The Rusted Tools In Your Box…

The world has evolved into an environment where people will typically pick up the phone and call someone if they need something in their homes repaired. Everything from our vehicles, our property and even our bodies are typically repaired or healed by outside individuals. And more and more, as time goes by, it seems that this is the way of the world. But it wasn’t always so. I grew up with the remands of the generations that kept their own tools, worked on their own cars and repaired their own homes.

During my youth, I got to experience the watering down of this societal trend. My grandfather had a basement full of tools and a pretty comprehensive workshop. As a carpenter and a blacksmith, you can still see some of his handy work floating around my home town as things created back then were built to last, even when they were made of wood. The thing is, he used all of his tools daily, and kept them all clean, oiled and maintained as needed otherwise ensure that they lasted and were of use for their intended purpose.

Next, we have my father. A well-meaning man, he was never very handy with repairing things himself. Put him in front of a computer and he’d turn into an operator from the fuckin’ matrix… But he wasn’t very adept at getting past anything more than hammering a nail to hang a photo frame. Having been directly raised in that environment, I fall very much into this same category. My point is he had a number of very handy tools available within the home. The problem is he never used them.

The result is that within a very short number of years, those tools began to rust, corrode and erode, rendering them all but useless and in some cases completely destroyed. There was nothing more heartbreaking when I had to go home to close down my mother’s apartment than having to scrap a bunch of tools that had succumbed to the passage of time and had become absolutely useless. I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to fly a bunch of steel tools back to Saskatchewan anyway, but it was still a shameful waste. Those tools would have been better served in the hands of someone who would have used them and maintained them properly.

So believe it or not, this post is actually related to karate and the martial arts. So I’m going to bring us back to THAT. Learning different styles and techniques has often been compared to having multiples tools in your toolbox. Much like a traditional tool (hold your jokes, I’m not referring to myself), if you don’t use your techniques and train consistently, you’ll get rusty. You’ll become ineffective. Your tools will basically be useless. Only if you maintain them and work with them, will your avail;able tools continue to serve you well and protect you, in the event you need them.

Somehow, in my head, I always feel as though I could be responsive and hold my own in the event of a fight. At least part of that is true because the knowledge is still there. The light willing, that’ll never go away. So knowing how to protect and defend myself, knowing how to execute techniques and perform my katas and train effectively… Those are the things that never go away. But like the hammer that sits in the toolbox for twenty years, it may still be able to hammer a nail but it won’t keep the rust from setting in. The same can be said of us. Train hard, train consistently and keep your tools maintained. As the old saying goes, you don’t stop karate and get old; you get old when you stop doing karate. Food for thought… ☯️

Supplementation, Part Six…

Well, here we are again. This is the sixth time I publish this post. And for good reason. I’ve essentially made my peace with the fact that I’ll be posting this around this time every year when the weather starts to turn colder.

I absolutely love this post! I consider it to be one of the best-written and important posts I’ve ever drafted and when I mention this to some of my readers and/or followers, it usually catches them by surprise. Perhaps they believe that my endearment should be reserved for posts about martial arts or even Diabetes. But the truth is, the contents of this post cover a lot of the bases: nutrition, health and requirements of the body, which all play an integral role in maintaining proper health for Diabetes and ensuring one can train and develop their fitness acumen. So read on, if you haven’t. Scroll on by if you read it last year…

I consider the consumption of vitamins and minerals to be an important part of maintaining one’s health. It’s no surprise that modern nutrition is sorely lacking in most people and with every reposting of this material, I’m reminded of the importance of taking a steady multivitamin on a daily basis; a fact my doctors keep reminding me, as well. With the colder weather hitting our area and everyone’s immune system taking a hit, vitamins and supplementation are very important. So, bearing in mind that I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, here’s what I posted all the way back in June of 2019. Enjoy!

One of the key reasons behind the consumption of food is to obtain carbohydrates for energy. The human body requires energy to carry on normal functions and, well… stay alive! But what else do we get from the food we eat? A proper diet will also include a number of vitamins and minerals that we require to maintain proper health, growth and energy levels within the body. We’ve all heard about getting enough vitamins from a young age. I remember getting my Flintstones vitamin everyday as a kid.

But if you’re like most people, you’re likely wondering what these vitamins are for and what they do. My goal is to cover off the main ones here:

Vitamin A: This is an all-around vitamin that provides a number of functions including but not limited to the proper health of various bodily functions, tissues and helps to fight chronic disease and is known to be good for the eyes.

Vitamin B: This one is a bit complicated, as there is a large grouping of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that fall under the “B” category. In general, B-vitamins are used for energy production, immune function and absorbing iron. Some them include B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B9 (folate) and B12. There are a few more that I can’t recall, but B12 is considered amongst one of the most important of vitamins overall because it helps you turn food into energy.

Vitamin C: At some points, this one has been referred to as the sunshine vitamin. I’m thinking that’s mostly because people’s main source of Vitamin C is from citrus fruits. But this vitamin also helps with iron absorption, immune function and is a natural antioxidant that helps with the elimination of free radicals. Eating citrus fruits are also what sailors used to eat on long voyages to prevent scurvy.

Vitamin D: This vitamin helps with the strengthening of bones and teeth. Our bodies are designed to self-generate this vitamin naturally through exposure to sunlight, but obviously that needs to be done in small doses. Modern life has created an environment where more people spend their time indoors, away from the sun. So supplementation becomes important.

Vitamin E: A pretty straight forward vitamin, this one helps with proper blood circulation and clear skin.

Vitamin K: This vitamin is essential for blood-clotting. In order words, if you’re deficient in this vitamin, small cuts or injuries can cause excessive bleeding that can become dangerous.

Folic Acid: We hear people speak about this one as being necessary during pregnancy. And they would be correct! Folic Acid helps to prevent certain complications during childbirth but is important to everyone for proper cell renewal. This one is also known as Folate, or Vitamin B9 (as listed above).

Calcium: Most people should be familiar with this one. Teeth and bones, people! Teeth and bones! Good calcium levels are required to keep those body parts healthy.

Iron: This helps to build muscle tissue naturally and helps with proper health of the blood. As an interesting sidebar, it’s also what makes your blood red through the reflection of light!

Zinc: Immunity and Fertility. I’m a little unfamiliar with this one and haven’t had the opportunity to research it a great deal.

Chromium: This one is near and dear to my heart. Because it helps to control blood sugar levels. Chromium is what helps all the systems of your body to get the energy they need when they need it. Some traditional medicine practitioners will suggest Chromium supplements for Type 1 Diabetics who may have difficulty in maintaining proper levels.

Magnesium: This one helps your body to absorb all the other vitamins and minerals. It also acts as something of a relaxant to muscle tissue and play a role in proper muscle contraction.

Potassium: This mineral helps with the proper hydration of your body and helps to control blood pressure.

There are many others of course, but I’ve tried to cover off the main vitamins and minerals required for a proper diet. We get most of what we need by eating regularly and including a variety of healthy foods. A lot of people take a daily multi-vitamin, which is fine. But unless you are experiencing symptoms or unexplained illnesses, there shouldn’t be a need to actively try and take added amounts of anything. Your medical practitioner should be able to advise you if further supplementation is required. For example, patients who are recommended to take Folic Acid and Iron during pregnancy.

Obviously, all of this is extremely important; not only for proper health and fitness, which is important to me, but to help with Type 1 Diabetes as well. Taking a daily multivitamin can help to ensure that your body gets everything it needs, in combination with carbohydrates, lean proteins and fibre. My wife Laura originally gave me the idea for the post I wrote in 2019 when she asked about B-vitamins. Every time I re-post this material, I think of her. The credit for this post is all her! ☯️

Come On, Feel The Noise…🎶

Recognizing that my follower-ship has grown by a fair bit in the past year, it’s begun to dawn on me that I could and should start reposting some of the better topics I’ve written about. After all and if we’re being realistic, the odds of someone reading through the thousands of posts I’ve written is somewhat unrealistic. So reposting seems like the next logical step. Plus, when I do something that elicits a changes or reminds me of an already addressed topic, it only makes sense to talk about it, right? But now that I’m done explaining myself, let’s get on with it…

Sleep is something that I’ve had an issue with for as long as I can remember. An elusive thing at best, the quality of my sleep often depends on blood sugar levels, stress, PTSD symptoms, other medical issues (ex: colds, flus and the like) as well as the fact I have two small children in the house.

I’ve written a number of posts that outline the benefits of a good night’s sleep. There’s no getting away from it; sleep is a necessary and integral part of a person’s health, well-being and interestingly enough, their sanity. For Type 1 Diabetics, sleep is a mixed bag, because our sleep is affected BY our blood sugar levels, but sleeping through lows or highs can also be extremely dangerous.

I’ve written about the benefits of white noise and its counterparts before, and explained how they can help people with falling and staying asleep. Both my sons have somewhat chaotic sleep patterns and don’t always go to sleep easily or stay under once they do. As a result, my wife found them a couple of white noise machines on Amazon. The nice part about these machines is they come with a variety of different sounds, not just white noise. AND they also glow. And you can choose from a variety of colours. Not too shabby for a kid’s device.

After a particular weekend of camping out in the basement with my oldest, he brought all his blankets and toys back to his room and it was discovered that he had left his white noise machine behind. Curious and since he never uses the SOUNDS but only leaves the glow on, I decided to hook it up next to my bed and try it out. After all, I’ve used an app called Noisli on occasion (more on that below in this post), and white noise has been helpful on occasion.

Much as with my previous post, I should start by explaining what the hell white noise actually is. Not everyone is familiar with White Noise, or its lesser-know cousins, Pink Noise and Red (Brownian) Noise. Let’s do some learnin’…

White Noise is described in layman’s terms as a sound that contains all the audible frequencies that can be heard by the human ear. These frequencies are all at the same intensity, giving the sound an almost “static” quality, which is how many people describe it;

Pink Noise is a sound that contains MOST audible frequencies, except the higher ones, and whose intensity decreases as the frequency increases. This can potentially make it more pleasant than white noise, and a good alternative if white noise doesn’t work for you. The sound of a steady rainfall is a good comparison.

Red Noise, or Brownian is similar to White and Pink but with even fewer high frequencies, described as having more bass notes than white noise, which makes it more tolerable and pleasant to listen to than White Noise. An undisturbed ocean wave lapping on the shore is a good comparison.

All three of these are mathematical constructs that do NOT occur naturally in nature, despite what many people think. Although white noise is often generically described as “background noise”, all three of these sounds need to be carefully constructed in order to qualify for the definition. Some people have tried white noise and noticed no benefit. In cases such as those, it would be to their benefit to try pink or red noise, as these could be alternatives that would work well for them.

There are a lot of benefits to using white noise. First and foremost, white noise will buffer out background sounds that have the potential to wake you during the night. A slamming door, a revving engine outside or a family member going to the washroom all have the potential to at least partially wake you, disturbing your sleep cycle. White noise prevents this. It’ll also help you stay asleep as it will mask noise that may wake you and even if you do wake, it’s usually easier to fall back asleep.

White noise also helps to shut off your brain. Have you ever tried going to sleep, only to have life’s problems replaying in your head? Or upcoming tasks lingering in your mind? White noise will help to prevent this, as well. It can also be a helpful tool while learning how to meditate, as it helps the practitioner focus and shut out the distractions that may prevent them from effectively reaching a level of meditation.

I’ve been using my son’s white noise machine for a couple of weeks and the results have been noticeable. I use a sound setting that provides a thunderstorm in the background. Being born and raised on the Eastern coast, I spent a good part of my life sleeping through thunderstorm. The steady staccato of the rainfall, accented with the occasional crackling of thunder is a comfort and it was surprising to me how much that comfort has helped get me to sleep. That being said, you don’t need to pay big money or buy a white noise machine. You can experience the benefits of white noise in a number of different ways, from downloading free apps on your phone that will produce it, all the way to paying moderate money for an actual “white noise machine”.

I use a free app on my iPhone called Noisli. What’s nice about it (besides being free) is that it allows you to experience a variety of sounds such as rainfall, thunder, leaves blowing, rustling trees and has all three “Noise” options including White, Pink and Brownian. It allows you to blend and mix all these sounds to your liking, which means you can have a rainstorm with thunder and heavy blowing winds, if that’s your go-to relaxing sound. If anyone is interested in the actual machine we use in our household, it’s available through Amazon Canada here and retails for $29,99 CAD.

At the end of the day, sleep is one of those things that will affect every other aspect of your life. If your sleep routine sucks, it WILL affect your health, appetite, work and fitness life… all of it! That’s why it’s so important to have a regular and consistent sleep routine (going to bed around the same time every night) and ensuring your sleep is profound and deep. You can take advantages of the methods I’ve described above without breaking the bank, or don’t be afraid to take advantage of sleep therapy if you find that it still isn’t happening for you.

This is one of those things that you have to try for yourself in order to be the judge. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for a nap! ☯

The Keto Conundrum…

Because I don’t write quite as often as I used to but yet my number of followers apparently continues to grow, I’m going to preface this post by pointing out that in no uncertain terms am I a medical professional, dietitian or specialist. I’m just a tired, cranky Type-1 Diabetic in his 40’s that has managed to live through quite a bit and has tried quite a bit. That being said, the following post is essentially my opinion and what I experienced. It in no way reflects one way or another on folks who may be on a keto diet or planning to try one. Let’s begin…

One of the bigger components of good blood sugar control for someone with type-1 Diabetes is the calculating of one’s carb intake and the proper dosage of insulin to accommodate those carbs. Because not all foods are created equal, the absorption of those carbs can sometimes be tricky, which is why my old pump had an ability to bolus on a delayed timer, for slower delivery in some cases for those foods that digest slower. Something that sadly, my new, fancy pump does not have (although it does other stuff instead, so we’re all good).

One good example of this, is what i consider to be the most versatile and delicious meal in the world, second only to a gourmet cheeseburger… That’s right, I’m talking pizza! Pizza has got to be the nemesis of any insulin-dependent Diabetic. The heavy cheese, grease and processed meats will often mean that if you bolus a dose of insulin at the start of your meal, you’ll likely bottom out as your body will deal with the fat and oils first and only get to the dough later. By then, the insulin has already dropped blood sugar levels to a dangerous point. This is where some delayed bolusing or a lower dose comes in handy.

But if you find yourself hitting that low, you’ll be inclined to treat it with some fast-acting carbs right away. Even though the carbs in your pizza will eventually hit your system, you can’t allow yourself to sit at those dangerously low levels for any period of time. besides the immediate danger, there are health implications associated with frequent lows. I won’t get into those here but this makes pizza one of the most chaotic foods that I eat as it usually leads t a full night of being on the blood sugar roller coaster and going without sleep for most of the night. Not an ideal prospect.

So it would make sense that when it comes other something like pizza, a lower carb or carb-free option would be fantastic. On the flip side, for the same reasons I can’t stand tofu or similar substitutes, I still want my pizza to taste like pizza. this is where the keto diet comes in. For those who may not be in the know and don’t follow “trend” diets, we should start by explaining what a “keto,” or ketogenic diet involves.

Basically, a keto diet is where you try to eat as few carbs as possible and get all your calories from protein and fat instead. That’s why you’ll hear your pompous friend say things like, “I’m keto, I don’t eat that white bread stuff…” We get it, Kyle! You’re trendy. But seriously, the effect usually forces your body to start burning your fat tissues for fuel and energy; a process known as ketosis. This eventually causes some weight loss. This is generally intended as a short-term diet to lose some weight. People who hang on to this trend for longer periods can start to have some issues. For a Type-1 Diabetic, going into ketosis can cause the creation of ketones. Elevated keystones are bad news for Type-1’s. SO one needs to be careful if trying a keto diet.

This brings us to my recent conundrum. I follow a few nutrition and diet pages for multiple reasons and I recently found a post for a carb-free pizza. Are you kidding me? The possibility of having pizza that wouldn’t send my blood sugars into a manic fit for an entire night is like Charlie finding the golden ticket to the chocolate factory. The recipe looked quick and easy and my wife was on board, so I decided to try it. As is my usual routine, I took a screenshot of the recipe and transcribed it into my notes app and while later, so I unfortunately can’t link the recipe or provide credit where credit is due. Perhaps the poster will miraculously see my post and recognize themselves. In any event, here’s the recipe:

Low-Carb Pizza Crust
– 2 cups mozzarella cheese
– 2 cups Parmesan cheese
– 2 eggs
– 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.

Mix all that shit together in a bowl then mash it flat onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put on whatever pizza toppings you like. We did cremini mushrooms, bacon bits, pepperoni for me and ham for my wife. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The entire pan was only about 20 grams of carbs. usually, one piece of traditional pizza is more than that.

Admittedly, baking Parmesan cheese made the house reek like nobody’s business and I’ll admit that once the pizza cooled, it quickly lost its appeal. While flavourful and satisfied my cheese craving, it may not be something that we would repeat agin. That being said, I didn’t feel full and bloated afterwards like I would with a traditional pizza and my blood sugar levels stayed nice balanced for the night. So, it was a win. My wife, who doesn’t handle cheese very well, didn’t finish all of hers and likely won’t be partaking of the meal, should I attempt it again.

It was a good idea and help with carb and blood sugar control. My suggestions, for anyone attempting to make this, would be to cut the recipe significantly, unless you have a family of four partaking. Keep the portion small and enjoy your couple of pieces while it’s still hot as cooling makes it lose its flavour and honestly, makes it a bit gross. But I think most people can be honest that the soul of the pizza is in the toppings; the dough is just the carrier. So this was a good try. Doesn’t mean I’ll be jumping any deeper in the keto pool though. ☯️

The Ontario Odyssey: The Aftermath…

My wife and I recently travelled to Toronto for a work-related business trip. Since my lovely wife celebrated a birthday close to that date, we felt it would be a nice trip for her to join on, since we would have our evenings to enjoy each other’s company and a much-needed break from our little ones. We were lucky enough that their grandmother was able to come spend a few days with them so that our trip could be accommodated. This would be the first time my wife would actually stay and wander within the City of Toronto.

I should preempitvely start this post by mentioning that I have no inherent dislike or hatred for large cities in general. After all, having travelled the likes of New York ( 8million people) and Tokyo (about 13 million people), Toronto is a far cry sitting at only about 3 million people. Still, that’s a marked departure from our home city of only about 250,000 people and the difference in population exposed us to some very harsh realities of modern society at its worst. Here are some of the highlights…

Our trip started decently enough, albeit with a 30-minute flight delay on our departure. While this didn’t affect our 1-leg direct flight, some of the passengers connecting in Toronto were visibly nervous and upset with the delay. Understandably so. While not seated together (we booked separately as my job covered my flight cost), our flight was uneventful and we landed in Toronto in late afternoon. The differences in our home environment and the big city were immediately evident upon trying to get through the terminal.

Majoratively and for the most part, I’ve noticed that people in the big city will go absolutely out of their way to avoid eye contact with others. While this is a personal choice and fine in concept, the practice is a bit more problematic. Especially when you’re in a large crowd. As we were walking at a rushed pace to find a cab, I had to repeatedly ask people to bring their eyes up as most people either had their eyes down on their phone or would simply walk right into others by virtue of not making eye contact. Just to be clear, I’m not of the impression that it’s everyone else’s job to get out of my way. But at least have the decency to keep your eyes up and contribute to the flow of foot traffic instead of being a hindrance. This would be common sense but I guess if sense were common, there wouldn’t be a term for it.

We stepped out of the terminal into. 36-degree summer heat. The sweat immediately bloomed on my forehead and the dizziness from the heat kicked in immediately. Exhausted and harassed by the crowds, we were quite happy to get to the hotel and check in. Not wanting to exhaust ourselves further, we opted to dine at the bistro located within the hotel, where I enjoyed a very lovely gourmet burger and some crispy fries. It was a nice ending to a day’s travel. We retired to the room and unceremoniously passed out shortly thereafter.

The next morning saw me deal with day 1 of my meetings, followed by an evening of dining with the group at an organized dinner. The menu was too extensive to get into, quite honestly, and the food and wine flowed freely, which made for an excellent evening of conversation, food and relaxation. The following day saw my meetings end around the noon hour. With the second day of conferences completed, we now had the remainder of the day to ourselves and decided to venture into the downtown core to shop and explore. This is where the issues began…

Besides being misdirected to a shopping centre we didn’t want by a “helpful” taxi driver, the heat basically floored us and sapped all life from us. By the time we reached the downtown core, we experienced the full gamut of human ignorance and indifference for one’s fellow man. Walking like a flood of angry badgers and completely oblivious to other people in their path or attempting to walk through, the population continued on the almost religious adherence to avoiding eye contact and willingly walking into others. Despite some verbal attempts, I even had a couple of occasions where I had to hold a had up to prevent someone from walking face-to-face into me. I’m surprised I didn’t get into a fight, to be honest.

Our overall downtown trip was not only disappointing but was enough of make us realize that populated city centres are not our thing. We begrudgingly made our way back to our hotel and once again dined in the main floor bistro, as it was convenient and easy. While we were still ultimately happy at having had some private time to spend together, the overall experience that was Toronto was not ideal. For us. Just to be clear, it wasn’t ideal for us. But we still had the opportunity for good conversation, some fine meals and the opportunity to travel together. That still tips the scales to the positive side.

The lesson for anyone out there reading my little rant right now, is that we live in a world of continuously evolving technology and as it carries on, we get more and more immersed in this technology. We ignore the real world in favour of burying our face in screen where we suddenly become brazen, outspoken and even quasi-offensive (or sometimes flu-blown offensive). But yet in the real world, we ignore the people around us and pretend they’re not there, even in a large crowd. In many ways, this is quite sad.

Let’s just say that I’m quite happy living in an environment that has a little population as it does. Both my wife and I are from towns with a population of a few thousand. Neither one of us can stand large crowds or millions of people. Despite this, we try to accommodate living in the real world because that’s where we all exist. But I won’t lie when I say we were quite happy getting back to our little city and making it to our quiet home in our little suburb. ☯️

Don’t Stress Over It…

I’ll be the first to admit that my tactics at approaching life have changed significantly over the past five years or so. And undoubtedly with positive results. It’s no secret that stress can have a number of adverse effects on one’s physical and mental state, especially in the long term. If you live a life of constant stress and anxiety, you’ll do more damage to yourself than the stress is worth. And chances are, the people behind that stress won’t give two shits about how far you put yourself out there.

Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to nasty effects like muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems and even heart and blood pressure issues. In addition to those few and according to an article posted by WebMD, symptoms of prolonged stress can include chest pains, rapid breathing, insomnia and loss of sex drive. I can’t but help but feel that the last one is a bit of a chicken or the egg scenario… lack of sex drive stresses you out, so you suffer more lack of sex drive, which stresses you out further… Brutal. But i digress…

Stress can also lead to the old saying about things “weighing on your soul,” as it can affect the emotional part of one’s health, as well. Loneliness, difficulty relaxing and becoming easily agitated can all be caused by prolonged exposure to stress. The problem comes from the body “fight or flight response,” which is triggered by harmful situations in one’s environment. It’s important to note that what may be considered stressful for one person may not be stressful to another. For example, some people may give zero fucks about how clean their bathroom is, while another person may get stressed out if a towel sits out for more than a couple of days.

So how does this tie in to Type-1 Diabetes? Well, the short answer is, surprise, surprise, EVERYTHING affects Type-1 Diabetes and stress is no exception. Stress will often adversely affect blood sugars, mostly due to the release of adrenaline and glucagon during those periods of increased stress. The result can be blood sugars that will slip easily out of whack, especially if you’re on a clever little insulin pump that will try to adjust for rising blood sugars but won’t understand WHY it’s happening. But all things being equal, everything described in the last few paragraphs are reason enough to try and avoid stress as much as possible.

We live in a crazy world that seems to promote stress rather than try to mitigate it, so it can be hard to avoid. For the most part, I spent over twenty years waking up to an alarm, hitting the ground running and rushing to get from point A to B, every day. There are reasons why my A1C’s have been total shit for almost two decades. In recent years, I’ve flipped the script a little bit on what it means to be healthy and have made some changes. I no longer wake up to an alarm. No, I’m not rich and I do hold a day job. I’ve accomplished this by having a reasonable bedtime at night and sticking to it in general terms as a daily routine. Even on the weekends, when I know I can sleep in a bit, I won’t wake to an alarm but will allow my body to wake on it’s own, which is far less stressful and shocking to the system than any alarm one could imagine.

A bit part of managing one’s stress has to do with how you choose to begin your day. My morning routine usually includes those first few sips of caffeine, followed by showering, dressing and prepping my lunch. Sound pretty standard? That’s because it is. The difference is I make a point of taking my time and not rushing. If I should be a few minutes behind or late, so be it. Granted, not everyone has that benefit but if you do, be sure to take advantage of it. On your way to work, try listening to some music as opposed to the news. Find a tune that you’ll sing to or groove to. Or both. Puts you in a much better mindset than hearing what political or world issues may be threatening your world.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting burying your head in the sand; I’m just saying there’s no need to constantly make yourself on edge and there’s plenty you can do to calm yourself and reduce your stress level. Finally, find some time for yourself. Whether it’s meditation, sitting with a book or just sipping a pint while watching a game, take the time to decompress and unwind. While built with the inherent ability to react to stress, we’re not built to be constantly exposed to it. That’s why so many people experience burnout and develop mental health issues.

Keep tabs on your stress. Doing so will help with one’s overall blood sugar control and help promote better overall health; diabetes-related or not. And let’s not forget the most important reason, health and stress issues aside, for doing well of this for yourself, which is to be happy. It’s important to be happy. If that isn’t motivation enough to help get you out of bed without an alarm, something may need to be changed. Food for thought… ☯️

A Belt Is Just A Belt…

I still vividly remember the first night I stepped into Sensei’ dojo. I was young, impressionable yet still chock full of sarcasm and quasi-narcissism. However, I was extremely aware of my own reality and recognized that I needed something life-altering in order to keep myself alive. Karate turned out to be the path towards that goal. After that first night, it would only get better. That’s not to say there wasn’t a significant amount of literal blood, sweat and tears. But I was willing to work at it and do what had to be done to reach my goals.

As I began to grow and progress within the dojo, I started to take notice and recognize the different belt ranks and how they seemed to play a role in the overall flow of the dojo. Generally speaking and for most people, black belt is usually the ultimate goal for the students. Ironically, achieving black belt was never ACTUALLY one of my goals, although I would eventually achieve it in early 2002. It would be a turning point for me and a significantly important day in my life and my martial arts journey.

One phenomenon that I’ve come to realize over the years is that the majority of students who stick with it long enough to reach black belt soon quit afterwards. For me, I never actually permanently stepped away from karate, although I can admit there have been times in my life where I’ve taken a hiatus. Such a break is never inherently a bad thing; one sometimes needs to evaluate one’s life in order to rot determine next steps. But the one thing I never did is hang up my belt permanently. And such a thing should not be done. Although addressed in different ways in different styles, Sensei always said that passing black belt was a student’s way of formally asking his Sensei to teach him karate. Can’t do that, if you quit.

I recently read a post online by Steve Rowe. For those who may not be familiar, Steve Rowe is a martial artists and author and has posted a number for very insightful things about the martial arts. One of the best takes on black belt that I’ve read in while was from him. Here’s a taste…

“Taking responsibility for themselves.
Their own training.
Their own standards.
Their own progress.
Never blaming others for a setback.
Being stroking enough to help others.
THAT’s a black belt.”

I wish I could find the post again but I’m sure if you Google Steve Rowe, you’ll no doubt find it. But the post goes on to talk about how becoming a black belt is an investment in oneself and how passing black belt is like finding the ladder that you now need to climb. Not only do I truly love this perspective but I agree with it, as well. Over the past 22 years, I’ve continued to push myself, to learn new things, to teach others and to continue my training.

If I were back home, I have every confidence that I would have climbed the dan ranks without question by now. But deep down, I understand that it doesn’t matter. It’s just a belt. And the certificate is just a piece of paper. It’s what you do with those that knowledge once you have it that will make you an effective martial artist. Food for thought…☯️

A Hearty Middle Finger To Type-1 Diabetes…

It’s been a little over two weeks since I started on my brand new Medtronic Minimed 780G insulin pump. To be completely honest, I upgraded primarily because my previous pump’s warranty ran out and I didn’t want to risk being stuck high and dry if something happened to it that required repairs. While I looked up some of the new pump’s enhanced features, including but not limited to upgraded SmartGuard technology and Bluetooth connectivity for better communication with the CGM sensor, I kinda wondered just how worth it getting a new pump would be.

Over the past couple of weeks, my curiosity was satisfied many times over. With at least two sensor changes and multiple reservoir changes, the difference in my overall blood sugar control has been phenomenal. While I couldn’t guess at what my A1C is currently sitting at, I would assume it’s dropped significantly from my last bloodwork results, all thanks to the increased control and time in range that the new pump has provided. One handy feature is to be able to monitor my blood sugars and perform certain functions through an app on my phone. One of the fun features is that it provides a percentage of time in range for the previous 24 hours. I used to average somewhere between 70 to 80% time in range. Lately, I’ve been hitting the 90’s. And then a few days ago, this happened…

It’s a pretty satisfying feeling, knowing that for the past 24 hours, your blood sugars have been so well controlled that you haven’t gone out of range at any point. Obviously, I could hit a low or a high in the following hour and that percentage would drop but still… In that moment, I had been in range for the 24 hours preceding that moment. While it could have happened before, I don’t know that it ever has. And even if it had, I would have had no way to comprehensively know it before getting this pump. I’m almost looking forward to my next round of bloodwork…

To say I’m impressed and happy with this new pump would be an understatement. The monitoring and micro-bolus adjustments have made things great. Between that and how much my blood pressure and organ health are improving, it kind of feels like everything is coming up me. Here’s hoping that nothing breaks the spell… ☯️

Welcome to Medtronic: The Next Generation

Time flies… It’s a constant of life that people rarely choose to acknowledge. Almost to the point where most folks seem to be of the opinion that they have all the time in the world. But I digress… In this instance, I say that time flies because somehow, five years have gone by in the blink of an eye. In late 2013, my endocrinologist and the RCMP were both pushing me pretty hard to start insulin pump therapy. I resisted this with all of my will, because I didn’t like change and I was fearful of wearing a pump while working as a police officer. Oh, how wrong I would turn out to be.

I started on the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm in early 2014 and it would turn out to be nothing spectacular. Sure, I no longer had to carry an insulin pen and all I had to do was input my carbs and the pump would do the work. It was neat; a technological gadget that was more fun to talk about than actually deal with. That first year was an absolute mess of botched infusion sets, inadequate ratios and failed boluses due to injecting into scar tissue. There were growing pains but after a while, the pump became as much a part of me as Type-1 Diabetes had been for all the years prior.

In 2020, I was told that I qualified to obtain a newer pump and was issued the Medtronic 670G insulin pump. I’m usually very in line with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” so I wasn’t jazzed about getting yet another new piece of equipment. Plus, this new pump featured continuous glucose monitoring, which I would be on for the first time. I never could have anticipated how much of a difference this would make in my life and my A1C even dropped below 7.0 for the first time in almost 20 years. Despite the many pieces of hardware taped to my abdomen and some of the headaches that come with using new equipment, there’s no arguing that pump therapy has been a game-changer in ensuring my advancing years are healthy.

My new Medtronic 780G. Don’t judge the blood sugar; Auto Mode isn’t on, yet.

Yesterday was like Christmas. After 5 years, I ordered and received my new, upgraded Medtronic 780G insulin pump. I spent the better part of a few hours in the evening getting everything charged and ready, examining the new functionality and a new glucometre (boo). By the time I finally crashed for the night, I was using the new pump, had a brand new Bluetooth CGM installed and I am now waiting for SmartGuard to finish warming up so I can jump on auto mode. Some of the fun benefit with this upgraded version is the Bluetooth pairing, which improve CGM connectivity and prevents all those nasty communication losses. It also allows for a fun mobile device app, which allows me to monitor my blood sugars without constantly in clipping my pump or pulling out of my pocket.

The app screen

I should probably make it clear that there are several companies that distribute insulin pumps in Canada and that, much like martial arts, which brand/company you use is subjective to one’s preferences and experiences. For me, this will be my third Medtronic pump because I like the functionality and excellent customer service. And I don’t like change. Although I always look at all available options, I’ve never been able to bring myself to switch to anything else. Plus, Medtronic spoils their customers. They sent me a shit-ton of supplies along with my new pump.

The stockpile

As I get older, life makes it more difficult to properly maintain blood sugar levels and stay healthy. Eventually, Diabetes will kill me. That may sound a bit morbid but it’s a stark reality. While acknowledging that reality, it’s nice to know that technology is doing its part to ensure that my longevity is as long as it can be. Maybe eventually, technology will outrun Diabetes and it will be a thing of the past. Until then, I’ll continue to be the nerd who gets excited over the prospect of a new insulin pump. ☯️

The 6-Month Aftermath…

Throughout my life, there have been a few times where my life was in genuine jeopardy and I stared death in the face. Sounds a bit melodramatic, perhaps, but accurate nonetheless. The first although not the most memorable, is when I was initially diagnosed with type-1 Diabetes. This happened at the tender age of four, which means that while I fell ill and passed out in my bowl of Froot Loops, I didn’t necessarily have a clear grasp of what was happening or even what Diabetes even was. That being said, it started a lifelong journey of obstacles, medical complications and even goals for myself.

It wouldn’t be until years later and poor treatment of my Diabetes that complications and insulin resistance would threaten to end my life before I had the chance otherwise live it. It would be at this stage that I would begin to lose faith in the health care system and take my care into my own hands. This is also what prompted the beginning of my martial arts journey. While I have always been successful in, to quote Star Trek, take death and turn it into a fighting chance at life, there is some damage that I’ve never recovered from. One good example are my eyes. As a result of my preteens being spent with extremely high blood sugars and living through a half dozen comas, my eyes have damage to them that would decades to treat and those treatments are still ongoing to this day.

However, nothing has been quite as scary as test results I received from my endocrinologist back in November. Although I usually have the benefit of a “boring” visit by virtue of how tightly I control my Diabetes, this visit would be anything but. While going through my blood test results, my kidney function was raised as a concern. For those who haven’t read previous posts and may not be aware, my brother had kidney disease and had a transplant, and it eventually contributed to his death. I knew how serious this was and the potential negative outcomes. To put things into perspective, the normal range for proper kidney function is between 0 to 20 mg/L. My test results in November showed me at 175!

My doctor did the usual, where they try to sugar coat and soften the news as much as possible, mentioning that losing some weight and altering my diet would help to reverse some of the damage. But the basic reality slapped me in the face; I was beginning the downward spiral towards the earliest stages of kidney failure. I left the doctor’s office a deflated man, that day. My doctor had also prescribed Ozempic to help with some of the concerns surrounding my Diabetes. As I’ve written on a couple of occasions, smaller portions and an altered diet have actually given me some success and I’ve shed a fair amount for weight. Having started at about 217 pounds back in November, I weighed in at 191 pounds last week when I visited the doctor’s office.

My doctor was extremely pleased, not only with my weight loss but with the results of said weight loss, which included my kidney function having dropped to 16 mg/L! Coupled with all the nasty issues like cholesterol and blood pressure being absolutely normal, my kidneys had not only completed recovered and all damage was reversed but I essentially had the kidneys of a non-Diabetic. The sense of relief I felt was indescribable. The only thing better than getting a clean bill of health is getting one after you spent months believing you had reached the point in your Diabetic journey where everything was going to start shutting down.

Now, it’s important to recognize that although I work really hard to maintain my health and fitness, none of that whole “turning death into a fighting chance at life” could have happened without help from others. Without Sensei to teach me and train me the way he did, my health and overall fitness wouldn’t have progressed as well as it did. And who knows where I’d be today. By the same token and despite my best efforts, weight loss has been a difficult journey for me over the past fifteen years. Without my endocrinologist prescribing the right medication and seeing me through to losing roughly 25 pounds, my kidneys would likely still look like Rocky Balboa at the end of the movie.

In closing, I think it’s important to recognize the significant difference a bit of weight loss also makes in one’s overall health. People are often resistant when their doctor tells them they need to lose some weight and people today are usually more for the whole “love yourself the way you are” than they are for getting up off the couch and doing something. But that proposed weight loss can make a significant difference in all the systems in your body. And it’s important to recognize that sometimes, one needs a little help in getting there. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Some food, albeit a lot less of it, for thought…☯️